Sewell grows talent across the region

Following the recent opening of our West Yorkshire office at Marshall’s Mill in Leeds, the total Sewell workforce now stands at almost 500, with 75 members of staff securing promotion within the  business and climbing the career ladder in the past 10 years.

The company continues to encourage and nurture talent from within to enable business growth.

Steve Dam joined Sewell in 2011 as a pre-construction assistant. Five years on the 29 year old is a key driver in the Leeds set up and is a shining example of how hard work and attitude can determine your career progression at Sewell.

Steve said:

“I didn’t think I would get to this point in my career as quickly as I have, but I knew if I got stuck in, I could go somewhere at Sewell. Rewards are there for hard workers, but you’ve got to be flexible and carve your own career.

“There is a lot going on across the North of England and there is a market for the hands-on company that we are.

“The projects we have been looking at have come in organically. We also have the ability to be flexible, adapting to what the client needs and being responsive to that.”

The West Yorkshire team has recently completed a year-long refurbishment of the School of Fine Arts at the University of Leeds and secured two awards for their work on Leeds City College’s Print Hall.

The scheme has bagged a prestigious Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Award, followed by the Committed to Heritage and Refurbishment Award run by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), just three weeks later.

The project is now in the running for the coveted Project of the Year prize at the Grand Final of the National RICS Awards in October.

Building extensions are also underway at Cranswick Convenience Foods’ site in Barnsley, Greenhead College in Huddersfield. The team is completing a second phase of the Sheila Silver Library refurbishment at Leeds Beckett University and carrying out ongoing construction maintenance work at Drax in Selby.

The most recent project to start on site is a £4.5 million extension of Athelstan Community Primary School in North Yorkshire, which will see the school double in size in a 60-week programme due to housing developments in the surrounding area.

Josh Donnelly joined the team as a Development Manager a year ago and said the company’s approach to business ensures it stands out from the crowd.

Josh said:

“Our success or failure is very much down to our supply chain relationships.

“We’re developing strong relationships through working hard on the little things – properly engaging the supply chain and treating them as stakeholders. These sound really obvious details but it makes a big difference.”

Sewell Group Managing Director Paul Sewell said concentrating on growing the team from within the business and having teams based in the communities they serve is essential.

He said:

“It’s vital to have good relationships with everyone we work with and, with talent coming through the business, this means we continue our culture throughout.

“We’re growing a team from within the Leeds area and with relationships already established, it’s a nice blend.

“Supporting our staff to grow is also protective of our culture. You build a certain DNA in a business, and people hence share those values.

“The pipeline of talent is really important to our business in ensuring people know there are real career progression opportunities. If you have this pipeline and people know you are valued, you have a home for talent, and that can only be a positive as we grow across the region.”